I recently had the opportunity to receive some bibs to review. My son has NEVER been a bib fan. He would rip and tug at his neck until the bib wore a red mark or he successfully pulled it off. Let me tell you, during the early teething stages, this meant we had frequent shirt changes since he drooled like a labrador staring at a ribeye steak.

During the time, I looked around at several boutique shops and WAHM’s on esty to find some of these bandana bibs. Many wanted $10-20 per bib and this was just out of my price range for something to catch drool. So we went with the traditional bibs from stores like Carter’s and the like. They served the purpose, but like I mentioned above, he didn’t care for bibs at all. But these #snappyswagger bibs are priced at $18.99 at Amazon for five bibs. So for less than $4 a bib, he can be fashionable without breaking Mom’s piggy bank.

Enter these bibs from Snappy Swagger. They are lined with fleece so it doesn’t irritate his neck and it has adjustable snaps (like on his cloth diapers) that he can’t easily pull off. Now that he is 19 months, he has his a personality all his own and can easily tell me what he likes and doesn’t. While we were testing the bibs, he giggled and played with them instead of treating it like a torture device.

And again, being 19 months there is less drool and more food and drink involved in his life. These bibs held up to the typical toddler mealtime. Now, I wouldn’t use it if he was eating spaghetti or something equally messy. I would strip him and let him eat in his diaper, but for finger foods and drinks it worked wonderfully.

For future babies, I will definitely turn to these bibs first and I will be going back to stock up for all the baby showers I will be attending in the near future. (I swear my whole mom’s group is pregnant right now).

**Disclosure: I received this item in exchange for an honest review.**

]]>https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2016/01/28/the-cutest-baby-bibs-ever/feed/0lroseberrybib imageAdjusting to Your New Rolehttps://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/adjusting-to-your-new-role/
https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/adjusting-to-your-new-role/#respondMon, 06 Oct 2014 13:12:14 +0000http://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/?p=30Continue reading Adjusting to Your New Role→]]>No matter if you are entering motherhood at 16, 25, 32, 40+ or somewhere in between, you life will be forever changed once that little boy or girl takes the first breath of air.

I always thought knew my life would be different after becoming a mother. However, until it becomes reality you can only imagine how it will be.

The early weeks are the longest weeks of your life. It seems that the days and nights all mesh together as if you were trapped inside your own version of Groundhog Day. It seems that every day is nothing but the same, but yet it is all brand new.

For my husband, adjust to the role of daddy was pretty easy. He really didn’t have to do much. He hasn’t lost sleep much. Not one damn bit. The man snores like a freight train and has yet to wake up in the middle of the night to change the first diaper. Now, of course I am breastfeeding so that throws a wrench in any midnight bottle feeding episodes.

Speaking of breastfeeding, that is probably the biggest adjustment for me. Exclusively breastfeeding means that I need to be there for my son 100%. In the early weeks, they (you know the lactation experts) advised not to give him a bottle to avoid any confusion between bottle and breast. So anytime Shark Baby was hungry, mama was there. That often meant holding him for hours on end while he cluster fed. Just as soon as I thought I could put him down for 10 minutes and grab a quick shower, he would let out a blood curdling wail and let me know that he didn’t want me to be clean. He wanted milk and he wanted it now. I absolutely love being able to bond with my son and be able to offer him the healthy nourishment for his growth. However, it definitely been an adjustment. I have been able to go from moving freely throughout my day doing my daily tasks when I feel like it and on my own terms.

Now, even the most seemingly mundane task takes forethought. I have always been an independent woman who did what she wanted when she wanted. Now, I have to plan to go pee, plan to go to the grocery store, etc. I am a terrible planner. I always buy the cute yearly agendas with the idea of getting organized and planning my day. It ususally lasts about two weeks and then I forget about it. I am learning that if I am going to survive mommyhood, I am going to have to become a planner. Otherwise, going to the grocery store will become a perfect time for a mini/mega meltdown. This is something I am working on daily. I am trying to learn his cues to know when it is time to sleep so that I can get my needed tasks accomplished. I am trying to be more prepared going into the store so I can get in and get out quickly. I know when he has had enough (most of the time) to avoid the need to walk out of the store and leave a full cart of groceries in aisle 9.

When SB was 10 weeks old, I returned to work. This has also been a huge adjustment. I had just learned to adjust to being with him 24/7. Now, I was adjusting to being back at work from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. He was spending his day in childcare. I was no longer the sole provider of safety and security for him; another person was responsible for making sure he was happy, healthy and had a fully belly. This rocked me to my core. For the first few days, I kept a box of Kleenex close by my desk to catch the inevitable boohoo moments. I am slowly adjusting to the role of balancing motherhood and worker bee. This probably has to be the most emotionally challenging adjustment for me. I want nothing more than to be there for him to see every coo, cry and development. However, I know that I am doing the best thing for my family right now by working and building a nest egg so that we can live not lavishly, but efficiently and comfortably.

Tell me about how you have had to adjust to your new roles as a parent. What were the biggest surprises and changes that you had to make?

]]>https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/adjusting-to-your-new-role/feed/0lroseberryShark Baby’s Birth Storyhttps://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/shark-babys-birth-story/
https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/shark-babys-birth-story/#respondFri, 03 Oct 2014 17:04:42 +0000http://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/?p=26Continue reading Shark Baby’s Birth Story→]]>Shark Boy’s birth was not what I had planned, but it was beautiful in every aspect I could imagine. With his own plan for his grand entrance, I can see that he will be gently redirecting my plans for him when they don’t always align with his.
My due date was June 27 and all of my prenatal visits with the midwifery group had been great. He was growing normally and so was I. The midwifes felt that everything was in line for him to come any time, but they were not pushing me to induce.
About 32 weeks along, I began studying the Hypnobabies program for self-hypnosis in childbirth. I wanted an all natural water birth. (Or water labor, as my hospital recently outlawed the practice of actually delivering in the water. They still allowed labor in the water.) Each night before bed, I put my headphones in and climbed onto the bed to listen to my Hypnobabies track to relax and learn.
Fast forward to June 25th. I was officially on maternity leave and Shark Boy could arrive any day. Throughout my pregnancy I stayed active with yoga and light exercise. Once on leave, I kicked it up a bit to “walk the baby out.” I woke up early and walked 1-2 miles at the nearby elementary school. I was still doing Hypnobabies program and listened to my positive pregnancy affirmations while walking.
On Saturday, June 28th, it was my dad’s birthday. I got up early to walk and enjoyed the brisk walk. I was feeling a bit of discomfort at the end of the walk, but just attributed it to tiredness. Around noon, my husband and I met his dad and step-mother at a baseball game. The weather was muggy, so I stayed in the shade as much as possible. When I got up to walk to the restroom on the other side of the park, I noticed a few sharp pains at the top of my abdomen. I never experienced any Braxton-Hicks contractions during the previous weeks of my pregnancy, so I thought they were finally kicking in. The twinges were VERY mild so I didn’t even think more about it.
We left and at lunch with the in-laws at a nearby restaurant. Afterwards, my husband laid down to take a nap and I told him I was going to drive over to my dad’s to see him for his birthday. I stopped to fill the car up with gas. While there, my back started hurting really bad. I called my dad and apologized for not being able to come see him on his birthday. I told him I needed to go home and take a hot bath to relax my back. He understood.
At home, the bath was completely worthless to me. I couldn’t get the water hot enough to relax me and take my mind of the increasing pain despite lisenteing to my Hypnobabies track. The track is supposed to help keep your mind relaxed and calm, but I could not keep my mind in the deep state of relaxation. My “off switch” (a Hypnobabies technique) was not working.
I woke my husband up and told him that he probably needed to pack his bag because tonight was likely the night. (Yep…he’s that guy). He packed his bag and the car while I sat on my pregnancy ball to relax and labor. He called the midwife for me and she told me to go ahead and head to triage. My contractions were still 7-8 minutes apart at this time, but they were VERY intense now.
I turned on my “Birth Day Affirmations/Active Labor” track on Hypnobabies to get focused on the big event. I did my best to stay in the “off position”, but I was not able to effectively breathe through each pressure wave and stay relaxed. The only pain I had at all was in my lower back. It felt like a menstrual cramp from hell. It was like someone was standing on my lower back every five minutes.
Husband finally got the car loaded and we hit the highway to the hospital. I kept my eyes closed and listened to my affirmations in the car. Again, I tried to stay in the “off” position, but the intense pressure waves kept bringing me back to focus. It was about a 15-minute ride to the hospital that was quite uncomfortable for me. We arrived at the hospital around 8:00 p.m. and found that there was no one in the check-in area. My patience was wearing thin. Luckily, he found a courtesy phone and we were buzzed up to the secured labor and delivery floor.
The triage nurse checked me and I was dilated to 4 cm. She left to call the midwife on call (my favorite one by the way) to find out what to do next. I sat on the bed and my husband tried to put pressure on my back. Nothing was working. I could not get relaxed with Hypnobabies and knew the pain was too intense for me at this point. I told the triage nurse that my birth plan was out the window. Forget it. Give me the damn epidural.
She questioned me because it was in my chart and plan to have a water labor and natural delivery. After another painful wave in my back, I confirmed “YES!! Give it to me please.” The nurse said they were going to admit me and she went to get the Anesthesiologist prepped. She got me to a room and I tried to breathe through the pressure waves, but they were continuing to get worse on my lower back.
After being at the hospital about 45 minutes or so, she checked me again and I was at 6 cm. My water broke when she checked me and about that time the anesthesiologist came in to do his job. But, by God, I swear the man was asking to get punched. I know it was his job, but he asked me the same questions about 10 times before he began. I was beginning to get really stressed out and uncomfortable.
The papers were signed and I sat still long enough to get the epidural. After about 20 minutes, I began to relax and finally feel peace. My nurse had to switch with another nurse at shift change. I began to get a little apprehensive again because I didn’t want to change nurses mid labor. But, I am so glad the new nurse came in because she was amazing. Eva was a gift from heaven.
My midwife finally came in and she checked me. It was now around 9:30 or so and had progress to around 8 cm. During this time, my mom arrived. She lives 45 minutes away and I was worried that she wasn’t going to make it. I wanted her in the room with us and she finally made it. About the same time, my husband’s family arrived. They were not staying in the room. (There were about 10 of them, kids included). We visited with them for a bit and sent them to the waiting room as we got closer to go time.
Around 11:50 p.m., the midwife had me start pushing. I was trying to push this little man out before midnight so he would share his Papaw’s birthday. He was not ready. It took nearly an hour of laboring to get Shark Boy out of the birth canal. At 1:02 a.m. on June 29, 2014 he made his grand entrance into the world. He weighed in at 8 pounds 14.5 oz and 21.5 inches long.

I immediately knew why my plans changed and why I had to push for an hour. His right hand came through the birth canal with him. His hand had been pushing down on my lower back making it that much more difficult to fit through my hips. Had I gone through with natural labor, my midwife said it would have probably been very difficult. With the extra width of his hand and arm coming through the birth canal, Shark Boy caused me to rip and require several stitches down there.
It was not what I had planned, but it was well worth it all.

Babies still need mommy even when she is miserably sick. God bless you single mommies who battle on when you feel under the weather. I don’t know how you do it, but kudos to you. My husband wasn’t much of a helper, but he was a warm body for me to whine to and bring me drinks while I was down.

Now, I am a pretty healthy person. In fact, during my entire pregnancy with Shark Baby, I never missed a day of work for illness. I was lucky enough to avoid any sinus infection, flu, or other bug that plagued my office and home life.
But, after being back in the germ-filled petri dish that is my office less than three weeks, I have been knocked down for the count.
On Thursday evening, I came home from work and started playing with the boy. I felt great, but by the time I needed to put him into the bath and get him ready for bed that all changed. I was achy, cold and miserable. It felt like someone had stripped me of every ounce of energy I stored in my body.
I felt magically better on Friday so I went to work and felt fine. But, Saturday morning rolled around and it was obvious the sickness was still here. Shark Baby had no clue. In fact, he was more than happy to wake up early and be in a wonderful mood. This did help me “fake it ’til I make it” all day. Well, except for when I finally was able to take a nap and he woke up screaming for a boob. Not a bottle. A boob. Husband tried the bottle and failed miserably. He has the patience of a two-year old anyway so I knew that wouldn’t work.
I managed to get some decent sleep (between the times I had to wake up to nurse SB and then ask hubby to roll over from snoring like a wild animal). I woke up on Sunday not 100%, but I attempted to make it to church. On the drive to church, I changed my mind and drove on to Target to get some meds.
WELL…wouldn’t you know that Target would be the place that SB finally realizes I am sick and wants to tell me that he is whiny too. I checked his butt, dry diaper. I checked his head, no fever. I tried to nurse. Nope. No boob. Guess who didn’t have a bottle with her? Guess who forgot the tummy drops? Yep. Guess who had a meltdown in Target and had to leave in a bucket of tears? Yep. This mommy.
I ended up getting hubby to take me to the walk in clinic yesterday because I thought it had turned into strep throat. My mouth was coated in white dots and it hurt like heck to swallow.
The nurse said the test was negative. Yay! Glad I spent $35 to hear it was negative. I really wanted something to make me feel better. I guess it is just a virus that will have to run its course.
But, at least I did get some popsicles brought to me in bed by the hubby. And I woke up to a happy baby who wanted lots of cuddles and love. I think cuddles are really the best medicine. It does make any sick mommy feel better.

Everyone tells you that parenthood will change your life forever. When you are pregnant, all you hear is “Blah, blah, blah. Rainbows and butterflies. It will be the best time of your life. It will be the worst time of you life. Blah. Blah. Blah.”
Until that day comes, you are never fully prepared to be a parent. You can read every book on every aspect of parenting a child, but until he or she is actually in your arms it is all just theory. No amount of friendly advice, book reading or parenting classing will prepare you for your child.
I have a small army of nieces and nephews (12 to be exact) that I thought prepared me quite well for being a mommy. I have changed many a poopy diaper, calmed colicky babies, kissed boo-boos, wrangled unruly toddlers, etc.
While it did give me some insight on how to make sure the diaper was on the right way, it did not prepare me for learning how to live life with this new tiny human. My whole life now has a new axis. It no longer revolves around what I want to do in my free time, it revolves around making sure this little one is fed, burped, cleaned and loved to the best of my ability.
The love part came naturally. From the moment the midwife placed him on my chest, it was true love. I suspect it will remain that way until they put me six feet under.
What is more challenging, is learning how to effectively do all of the stuff I did before becoming mommy. You know, like showering, eating a meal, exercising, having an adult conversation. Thankfully, my husband has flexibility with his job that allows him to work from home some days and on others have more flexible hours. This has allowed me to transition into mommyhood a little bit more smoothly. He has held Shark Boy while I was able to get a shower. He has been gracious enough to fix my plate for me so I can nurse and eat at the same time.
I am still trying to balance the exercise thing. One would think that when baby naps would be a great time to get in your 30 minutes of exercise on DVD. Not always. Cranky baby is cranky. That 30 minutes with Shaun T becomes 55 minutes because you have to change a diaper or try to nurse baby back to sleep. Or you say “Whatever!” and give up for the day. You stay in your workout clothes so your husband thinks you are Super Mommy who can balance all of these things.
Well, I am Super Mommy. Shark Boy thinks so even if there are days that I feel more like the evil villain who has been defeated by the superhero baby.

]]>https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/its-a-balancing-act/feed/0lroseberryelephant balanceCloth Diapers and Fluff Mailhttps://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/cloth-diapers-and-fluff-mail/
https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/cloth-diapers-and-fluff-mail/#respondTue, 23 Sep 2014 12:52:10 +0000http://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/?p=11Continue reading Cloth Diapers and Fluff Mail→]]>I am cloth diapering Shark Baby. I knew before I got pregnant that cloth diapers were going to be in my mommy repertoire. Shortly after I found out I was pregnant, I told my husband that I wanted to use cloth. He looked at me like I had a third eye growing out of my head and asked why? I told him my reasons (more economical, ecofriendly, etc.) and he gave me the green light to do whatever I wanted.
I started my stash of diapers by purchasing some used diapers from a local cloth diaper retailer and off of Facebook. I accumulated about 25 diapers, which I thought would be great to get us started.
I quickly realized that many of the diapers I purchased weren’t truly “one sized” as advertised. My LO was much smaller in the waist and legs, thus leading to poopsplosions and other leakages. I quickly modified my stash by buying and selling some of my diapers in groups on Facebook. I thought my husband would kill me as he came home each day to find new diapers in the mail. I assured him that I was mailing out diapers to new owners as I brought new ones in.
Fast forward to today where I am still building my stash with an almost three-month old. I just got three new all in one Blueberry diapers. These are by far the best for my LO and my family. They are super easy to wash and put away. I don’t mind the extra work of pocket diapers or fitted diapers, but it is more challenging for the hubby and sitter.
What are your favorite cloth diapers?
How many diapers are in your current rotation?]]>https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/cloth-diapers-and-fluff-mail/feed/0lroseberryBack to Reality?https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/back-to-reality/
https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/back-to-reality/#respondThu, 18 Sep 2014 18:53:21 +0000http://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/?p=4Continue reading Back to Reality?→]]>After 10 gloriously stressful, happy, sleepless weeks of maternity leave, I reluctantly returned to work on Monday.
I had plans to wake up early and get in a 30 minute workout. That didn’t happen. I had a cuddlebug on my chest so I took an extra 30 minutes to cuddle and snooze.
At 5:30 a.m. I finally rolled out of bed and moved to the rocker to nurse him. A few tears rolled down my face as I watched him eat. I put him down in his crib to snooze for a few minutes while I proceeded to get ready for work. Showering, dressing and doing my hair went by with ease. But, when I started to get him ready for daycare I lost it.
“OMG! My baby is going to be spending the next 10 hours in the arms of a stranger. I can’t do this. What if he refuses to take the bottle? What will we do? OMG,” I thought as I dressed him and put him in his carseat.
I managed to drop him off with the sitter and walked out the door without crying. I left quickly so I wouldn’t lose it. Well, I LOST IT in the car on the ride to work. It was so much harder than I thought.
Once I got to work, everyone and their brother welcomed me back and asked me about the little man. I was fine as long as they didn’t ask how I was doing. I could mask my sadness with a smile by talking about how wonderful it was to be a mommy.
But, alone in the room with my breast pump I began to think about him and began to get sad again. What in the world was I doing? Leaving my baby? How could I do this?

Alas, I made it to 5 p.m. and I hit the door running to get my little man. I was certain that I would get to the sitter only to find him howling with his face cringed and tears forming in his little eyes. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find him sleeping peacefully on her lap. She was sucessfully coerced him into taking a bottle. He ate dutifuly and took nearly 12 ounces on his first full day. I was in total shock. Not that she kept him safe and happy (she has kept children for years and they all LOVE her), but that my baby would actually take a bottle. I was so happy. I could now go back to work and not have to spend most of my day worrying if the phone would ring with her on the line telling me he was miserable.

Today I sit nearly two weeks into my back to work routine and see that the boy has adjusted seamlessly. He loves the sitter and is happy and peaceful when I pick him up each day. I am still struggling to get back to the daily grind successfully. My life as I knew it before has forever changed. I thought my postpartum emotions were under control, but as soon as I started back to this new reality it all went to hell. I still find myself a bawling mess that is easily overwhelmed by emotions. I wish this wasn’t normal.

]]>https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/back-to-reality/feed/0lroseberryBeginning a New Chapterhttps://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/08/20/beginning-a-new-chapter/
https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/08/20/beginning-a-new-chapter/#respondWed, 20 Aug 2014 15:51:31 +0000http://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/?p=8Continue reading Beginning a New Chapter→]]>Early in the morning on June 29, 2014, my world changed forever. Baby Finn made his entrance into the world. I was overwhelmed with love for this new life.
I am the proud aunt of numerous littles, many of which I have loved since birth. I have changed many diapers, washed many snotty noses and kissed hundreds of boo boos. But, none of this prepared me fully for my own son.
I had heard “It’s different when it’s your own” from many people as they were showering me with advice during my pregnancy. “It can’t be THAT different,” I thought to myself. Oh, it is. Yep. 100 percent different.
But different in a good way, I think. I (and my husband) are truly responsible to make sure this little guy is safe, healthy, happy and grows up “right.”
I am the one who makes sure he is fed, makes sure he is warm and makes sure he is comforted.
This has truly been a new chapter in the book of me. I can’t wait to turn the next page and see what’s next.]]>https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/08/20/beginning-a-new-chapter/feed/0lroseberryWhat’s In a Name?https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/whats-in-a-name/
https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/whats-in-a-name/#respondTue, 27 May 2014 15:45:18 +0000http://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/?p=2Continue reading What’s In a Name?→]]>Do you have any idea how hard it is to come up with a unique blog name? Just like good men, you think all of the good ones are already taken.
It is a big deal to choose a blog name. This is how readers will know me from here on out. What do I want to blog about? Do I want to be pigeon-holed into one genre or do I want to spread my wings and talk about anything?
I chose the latter. I created a healthy eating/fitness blog on tumblr and dutifuly kept it updated with my progress and changes. That all went to crap when I got pregnant and didn’t feel healthy or feel like I was a good example of being fit. It has fallen to the wayside and my readership has dwindled.
So, here I am creating a new blog with a new name on a new site.
Why “Life As Big As The Sky”? When my sisters and I were growing up, my dad would always tell us that he loved us as big as the sky. Of course, that is pretty cool to hear when you are a kid. But, what does it mean now and how can I apply it to my life?
I definitely want to love others as big as the sky, with no limits. But, I also want to live my life that way too. I know that there are infiite possiblities for how my life can turn out and how the story of my life will be written.
So this is me and my journey to live my life as open and as big as the sky!]]>https://lifeasbigasthesky.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/whats-in-a-name/feed/0lroseberry